


The Seventh Night

by TransBoyFanBoy



Series: Those Nights [9]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Non-Sexual Intimacy, cgxl, dxlb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22150678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransBoyFanBoy/pseuds/TransBoyFanBoy
Summary: It’s finally Jackson’s eighteenth birthday, and it’s a much needed break for everyone involved!
Relationships: Jackson Brewer & Julian Brewer, Jackson Brewer/Nathan Hall, Julian Brewer & Noah Brewer, Noah Brewer & Nathan Hall, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Those Nights [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/766590
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	The Seventh Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Just a heads up before you begin reading: there will be a lot of point of view changes in this chapter! I mean, a lot (like five POV switches). Sorry in advance, and I hope you enjoy!

Jackson's POV:

Time seems to have flown by since school started back up. It's my senior year, and there is so much to do before I graduate. To be honest, it's overwhelming in a unique way—I'm excited to be out on my own, but I'm also terrified to take on actual responsibilities aside from school.

I can tell that Nathan has been feeling the same way. There's even more pressure on him because his parents have such high expectations for him. Ever since he turned eighteen, his parents have been grilling him (when they can be bothered to come home) about what he's planning to do with his life.

My thought trail was broken by my friends shouting my name from across the lunch table. I jumped in my seat and took in their expectant expressions.

"What?" I asked dumbly.

"Dude, we asked what time we need to be at your house on Saturday." Jesse looked exasperated as he said this.

I stared at him for a moment in confusion before it dawned on me. I had been so caught up in schoolwork that I had forgotten about my eighteenth birthday party my mom planned. I dragged a hand down my face and sighed out a response.

"I completely forgot about that. It's, uh, at six I think." They all nodded and got back to eating lunch. Meanwhile, I sat there missing Nathan. He had a make-up exam to study for, so he was spending his lunch in the library hunched over books. I frowned to myself.

I stood suddenly and gathered my things. I told my friends a quick goodbye before walking out of the cafeteria and towards the library. I made sure to stop at the vending machine and grab Nathan a couple of snacks, figuring he would have been too distracted to have eaten lunch.

I quietly entered the library and searched around for Nathan, finally finding him at a table in a secluded area at the back of the room. He glanced up at my footsteps and his eyes softened upon seeing me. He smiled as I held up the food for him and joined him at the table.

"Hey, baby. What's up?" I leaned into him and pushed away his study materials, then placed the food in front of him. He rolled his eyes slightly but began eating.

"Nothing much; I just thought I'd check in on you, bring you some food, and see how studying was going. Lunch was getting boring without you." He chuckled quietly and pecked my cheek, turning to me.

"It's going alright; I feel a lot more confident than I did this morning. Thank you for the food, sweetheart—you always look out for me."

"Of course I do, Nathan. If you haven't noticed, you do the same for me." He laughed at the hidden meaning to my words and focused back on the food. He offered me a chip and fed it to me when I tried to refuse. We laughed with each other until he finished the snacks.

Eventually, we fell into a peaceful silence so that he could study again, and I ran my fingers through his hair as he highlighted notes in his journal. I studied his scrunched up, concentrated face for a few moments, admiring his beautiful eyes and freckles.

I sat patiently, thinking about my birthday party and looking forward to seeing Nathan get a break to relax.

———————————————

Noah's POV:

Julian sighed from the passenger seat as he skipped through the channels on the radio, unable to find something he enjoyed.

We were on our way back home from college for the weekend, and though it should have been exciting seeing as Jackson was turning eighteen, both Julian and I were a bit on edge. College finals were just around the corner for both of us, and the stress had made Julian far grumpier than normal. He huffed again as he settled on a channel and crossed his arms with a grimace.

"There's nothing good on the radio." He grunted out angrily. I shook my head.

Julian had joined me at the local junior college at the beginning of this year, and it had taken some time for him to adjust. His roommate wasn't what he had expected, and suddenly his classes became more challenging for him. It was a good thing that our dorms were just down the hall from one another or he really would have had problems.

Since the first night that I had taken care of Julian in his newfound headspace, he had become attached to me. He knew that his secret was safe with me, and that I would always be there for him if he needed it. More than a few nights since he moved into college had been spent with him showing up at my door and shyly asking for my help as he clutched a stuffed animal and a blanket to his chest.

The protective instict I always had with Julian and Jackson as kids would hit me full force every time he would show up like that, and I made sure to hurry him inside so I could protect him from eavesdroppers. I would settle him on the rug and watch as he colored and played with the few toys I had for him. In those moments, I silently thanked the dean of the college for not assigning me a roommate.

At this point, it had been nearly a month since Julian had let himself come to my dorm and be small. I was worried about him, but I knew that forcing him into his headspace would do more harm than good.

Lately, he had been talking to this girl he met on campus, and he had been suppressing his needs since then in order to appear "normal". I frowned as I thought about the first night he had let me take care of him during that storm. He had trusted me enough to let me see that side of him, and even though we had grown up together and he had trusted me with secrets before, nothing had ever compared to that. The vulnerability he experienced in that mindset was immense, and I felt honored that he willingly let me help him.

As Julian shifted in his seat restlessly, I thought about the moment that it had clicked for me that Julian was like Jackson. When he had shown up and tugged on my shirt while I was looking for a snack, I had been confused. My confusion was gone in an instant as I got a look at his clothing and the stuffed animals he held onto like a lifeline.

At first, I had felt a bit upset that he hadn't trusted me enough to tell me before he was put into a situation where he had no other viable option, but soon after he came out of headspace, we had a long discussion about everything. He explained that it had been his first time really allowing himself to feel little and that it had just unfortunately happened on a stormy night. He was very shy during that talk, so I was quick to reassure him that I still thought of him the same way and that I would be there for him whenever he needed me to be. We had ended the conversation with a hug and everything was back to business as usual until the next time he came to me for help.

I glanced over to where Julian was borderline pouting in the passenger seat and let out a chuckle before I could stop it. He turned to me with a glare and his pout deepened.

"What? What's funny?" He questioned angrily.

"It's nothing, Jules. It's just that you're sitting over there pouting because you can't find something good to listen to."

"Yeah, and what about it?" He turned away from me to glare out the windshield. I laughed again.

"You're acting like a cranky toddler, dude," I paused before becoming more serious, "You know, it's been almost a month since the last time. I know you don't want to talk about it, and I won't force you to regress because I know that won't make things better, but I want you to remember that I'm still here for you whenever you need me. Just because you have a girlfriend or whatever doesn't mean that I'm not still your big brother, okay? That's all I'm going to say about it for now, but you should try to lighten up on the attitude before we get home to mom and dad." His face flushed red at being called out, but he nodded and gave a small smile.

We made idle conversation for the rest of the ride. Julian was in a considerably better mood by the time I pulled into the driveway at home. We unpacked the bags from the car and went inside, only to be greeted by loud voices coming from the living room. We walked into the room to find dad standing on a ladder, hanging a birthday banner while mom yelled at him from the ground to center it more. I rolled my eyes fondly before making Julian and I's presence known. Mom squealed and rushed over to hug us tightly. Dad slowly descended the ladder before calmly following mom's lead.

"My babies are back from college! I missed you two boys so much. Your father and I were just setting up for Jackson's party tomorrow, if you'd like to help. Your little brother is out with Nathan for the afternoon, but he should be back for dinner." She finally took a breath and gave us a chance to respond.

"Sure, mom, we'll help out. What do you need done?" Julian replied politely, and mom gave us instructions for cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming. We set off to complete our tasks after dropping our bags off in our rooms.

Six o'clock rolled around pretty quickly, and we had just finished cleaning and washing up for dinner. Mom and dad were making dinner while Julian and I sat at the island and scrolled through our phones. The front door opened. A voice called out from the living room before moving closer to the kitchen.

"Something smells good! What's for dinner?" Jackson's head popped out from around the corner, and he walked in to greet us. Jules and I stood to hug him after mom answered his original question.

Jackson, Julian, and I caught up with one another about our classes and what's been going on in our lives. Julian, of course, left out the part about meeting a girl. I assume he wanted to avoid the onslaught of questions he'd surely get from our mom if she happened to overhear him mention it. I didn't blame him.

I looked him over worriedly as I had been doing for the past couple of weeks, and I noticed how the bags under his eyes had gotten deeper and how his eyes looked tired when he tried to keep them open. I furrowed my brows and shook the concern away for the moment.

_'This is Jackson's time, we're here for him.'_

Besides, I was sure that Julian would come to me when he was ready.

————————————————

The next morning came and went as we made the final preparations for Jackson's birthday party. Julian and I had woken him up early with birthday presents for him, as we do on each other's birthdays, and after grumbling for a few moments about being awoken so early, he tore open the gifts.

After he had finished opening the numerous presents we had gotten him, he smiled and thanked us, telling us we shouldn't have gone all out like we did.

"It's no problem, Jacks. It's your eighteenth birthday: the big 1-8. Of course we're going to spoil you a bit." Julian reassured him, and Jackson grinned.

"I love you guys, you know that?" We laughed.

"Yeah, we know, bud."

After allowing Jackson to get ready for the day, the three of us went downstairs and ate a quick breakfast. Nathan was planning on coming over around two in the afternoon so that he could spend some quality time with Jackson before the rest of the guests arrived, so we all stayed around the house and watched tv.

Julian still hadn't come to me to be little, but I had expected that. He could be unbelievably stubborn when he wanted to be, and he definitely did not want to be small right then. I tried not to let myself worry too much; he eventually wouldn't be able to fight it anymore, and he would age down whether he wanted to or not. I could only hope it wouldn't happen at an inopportune time.

—————————————

Julian's POV:

Nathan had arrived at two o'clock like he'd said he would, and he had taken Jackson upstairs to hang out before their friends arrived. That left me and Noah downstairs in the living room together.

I was half-tempted to run out of the room and lock myself in my room until company arrived for the party later, but I didn't want to let him know that his words had gotten to me on the trip home yesterday. I needed to stand my ground and prove that I could get along just fine without being small. Besides, if I were going to have a girlfriend, I need to get used to being fully adult. I would never want to risk being humiliated if a significant other were to find out about it.

Logically, I knew that I shouldn't be suppressing the need to be small, but I needed to be a responsible adult to keep up a relationship. I knew that Jackson and Nathan worked out, but I also understood that Nathan was a one in a million type of person. Not everyone would already be familiar with age regression. More likely than not, a majority of people wouldn't be willing to care for an age regressor. I rantionalized this in my head and came to one conclusion: I should try my damndest not to be small, no matter how helpful it is.

However, I could feel my mind slowly giving into the pull of my headspace. I knew that no matter how hard I tried to fight it, my mind would give in. I knew it would happen soon, and yet I still denied it.

I felt eyes on my and snapped my head up. Noah was staring at me with an eyebrow raised in question.

"You okay there, Jules?" He asked with a slight tinge of concern.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" He just shook his head and let me be.

————————————————

Guests arrived a few hours later, and I yelled up to Jackson and Nathan to come downstairs. Their friends waited patiently in the living room, but they soon began to speak loudly once the two lovebirds joined us downstairs. I flinched back at the noise, feeling a part of my reserve crack.

_'Too loud! 's too loud.’_ I whimpered quietly and steeled myself, forcing my mind completely big again before exiting the room to find where Noah had wandered off to. He was out back with dad, speaking with him as he grilled burgers and hot dogs.

I sat next to Noah in one of the lawn chairs set up on the patio, leaning back and listening to the two of them talk. Noah glanced back at me and smiled gently before turning his focus to his original conversation.

I frowned to myself, wondering why I sought out Noah and why he looked at me like that. Realization struck me and I frowned even more. Maybe I had sought out Noah for comfort. Maybe I just wanted my big brother. Maybe he knew that.

Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't feeling as completely big as I had made myself believe.

—————————————

Jackson's POV:

The party was in full swing, and I laughed and joked loudly with my friends and family as we shared stories from our childhoods. I sat right next to Nathan with his hand rested on my thigh, and I looked at him adoringly as he told a story from when fell off of a trampoline in elementary school.

As he spoke, I thought back to his own eighteenth birthday a few months prior. His party had been far smaller than this one, with only his parents and a couple of friends coming to hang out. We watched movies all night and played the usual stereotypical teenage party games when we got bored of the movies. It had been a relatively quiet night considering everything, but it was amazing. That was one of the first times I had really spent time with Nathan's friends, and though it was really awkward at first, I felt like they really made an effort to make me feel like I was just one of the guys, so to speak.

The best part of that night, though, was after everyone else had fallen asleep. Only Nathan and I were awake, and we laid on the couch in the living room and just talked and cuddled in the otherwise silent room, giggling quietly at one another as we tried to see who could make the other laugh the loudest to wake the others up. It was really peaceful.

This party definitely didn't seem to be heading in that direction at all. My mom had of course invited as many family members as she could get her hands on, and I had invited both my and Nathan's friends. On top of that, a couple of our neighbors came over for the party and food. Needless to say, the house was louder than it had been in a long time.

I looked around to see that Noah and Julian weren't in the living room with me. I didn't blame them for wanting to escape the chaos inside, but I was having the time of my life. My group chatted boisterously until dad announced that the food was ready. Everyone shuffled outside to get their fill of burgers and hot dogs, then went and filled the tables we had set up in the backyard and chowed down.

Once again, Nathan sat by me. While we ate, he held one of my hands in his and rubbed mine with his thumb. He talked giddily with our friends, and I got a chance to look up at him and think for a few moments.

I noticed how happy and at ease he looked, and I couldn't help but feel grateful that he finally got a break from the stress of school and studying for finals. I leaned my head on his shoulder unexpectedly, and he smiled down at me and placed a kiss to the top of my head before he returned to his conversation.

After supper, my mom and aunt brought out a very large sheet cake from the kitchen and placed it on the table in front of me. They got everyone's attention with great difficulty and everyone quieted down for my mom to speak.

"Okay everyone! As we all know, we're here to celebrate Jackson's eighteenth birthday."

Someone from the crowd shouted "we are?", which caused a fit of laughter throughout the backyard before mom continued her speech.

"I just want to say how thankful I am that all of you could make it out here tonight, and if it's okay, I'd like to say a few words for my son." She turned to me. "Jackson, my youngest baby, you're all grown up now. It's hard to believe that you're already eighteen. You've come so far and grown so much, and your father and I are so proud of you. Your birthday has made me realize one thing: I am officially old!" Everyone laughed at her words before she got a serious look on her face: "But in all seriousness, Jackson, your father and I, and I'm sure your brothers too, are proud of everything that you have accomplished thus far. We've watched you grow into the man you are today, and I for one am so excited to see what you become. Happy birthday, baby. Now, let's eat some cake!" Everyone cheered, and I wiped tears from my eyes as I stood to hug my parents.

The guests sang happy birthday quickly before dad cut into the cake and doled out slices to everyone who wanted some. I looked up at Nathan again happily, and he sent me a smile back, leaning down to my ear.

"Happy birthday, babyboy. I love you so much." He whispered to me sweetly. I blushed to the tips of my ears and playfully shoved him, muttering an "I love you too" to him.

Soon, the sun set and the party wound down. Guests left relatively quickly once it was dark outside, and the only ones left at the house were my parents, Julian, Noah, Nathan, and me. We sat in the living room and talked for a bit before mom and dad decided to call it a night and go watch tv in their room before bed. The rest of us stayed in the living room for a few minutes, and I turned my head towards Julian, who had been pretty quiet all evening. His head was resting on Noah's shoulder, and his eyes were closed. He wasn't asleep, but he was on his way to that point. One hand was fisted in Noah's shirt, while the other brought tight to his chest. I scrunched my brow at Noah in a silent question, nodding my head to Julian. Noah made a gesture with his fingers that I didn't quite understand. Nathan seemed to know immediately, though, and he turned to me and whispered in my ear again.

"I think Julian is feeling little right now." My eyes widened and I looked to Noah for confirmation. He just nodded his head solemnly and raised a hand to run through Jules's hair.

Nathan smiled gently at me.

"So, birthday boy, would you like to have some little time tonight as well?" I nodded shyly, and he picked me up, then headed towards the stairs. He stopped by Noah and muttered something to him, but I didn't catch it. Noah just nodded, and Nathan took me upstairs.

"Now then, let's get you changed out of these big boy clothes, huh? Does that sound nice?" His tone was lulling me into my headspace quickly, and I settled happily into it as I nodded at him.

He went to my closet and let me pick out some comfy pajamas to wear tonight, then picked up a pull-up as well. He settled me on the bed and changed me quickly, then settled me on his lap in the middle on the bed. I leaned into his chest with my arms squished between us, and he turned on the tv to a cartoon station. I kicked my feet out happily and wrapped them around Daddy's waist, then rested my head on his shoulder to watch the tv across the room. He reached over to hand me one of my stuffies, and I cuddled it into my chest. The stuffie was squished between the two of us, but I was too comfy to move it. As I watched, I realized that I hadn't gotten my paci. I whined quietly at the thought, and pulled on Nathan's arm. He petted my hair to soothe me, but I whined more insistently, tugging his arm again.

"What's wrong, little Angel?” I didn’t respond verbally, but I took hold of his hand from where it was placed between our chests and pulled his thumb up to my mouth. He tried to pull it away and stand up, presumably to find a paci for me, but I whined and my lip wobbled like I was on the verge of tears. He settled down and gave me his thumb. I brought it up to my mouth and suckled contently, the tears in my eyes quickly drying.

“Just for tonight, baby, since it’s your birthday.” I giggled behind his hand at his voice and he cooed. “Awww, does my baby know it’s his birthday? It may be your eighteenth birthday, but you’re still just my tiny baby, aren’t you?” I squealed and nuzzled into him more as he pet my hair.

He reached his free hand down to pat at my butt as we watched the cartoon, and we had settled into a nice, peaceful quiet when the door opened.

——————————————

Noah’s POV:

“Hey, I’m taking Jacky upstairs for some little time. Feel free to come up with Julian if you want to. I’m sure Jacky would be happy to see him.” Nathan said in a hushed voice before he carried Jackson upstairs. I nodded to him.

For the next twenty minutes, I sat next to Jules on the couch, smiling as he snuggled further into my side. I rubbed his shoulder and he opened his eyes, rubbing at them and looking at me. He spoke quietly.

“Bubby... ‘m small.” I nodded and continued to gently rub his shoulder.

“I know, sweetheart. That’s okay. Bubby’s here, okay? Can you tell me how old you are, bud?” His cheeks flushed and he pouted up at me.

“Um... ‘m three, I think.”

“You don’t know for sure, Bubba?” I ask softly. He shakes his head shyly. “Well that’s okay. I’m here for you either way. Would you like to go upstairs and get changed?” He nodded into my shoulder, and I stood.

He lifted his arms to me, making me chuckle. I scooped him up onto my hip and ascended the stairs, heading to his room. I attempted to set him on the bed, but he held on tightly and whimpered when I tried to lay him down.

“Okay, little monkey, I’ll keep holding you. Let’s go pick out an outfit, hm?” He nodded into my shoulder. I took him to his closet, where a majority of the little gear he had was stored, and I poked him gently in the arm to get his attention.

“Would you like to pick out a onesie, Bubba?” He nodded and lifted his head slightly, surveying his options.

“Wan’ da one wit sharks, p’ease, Bubby.” I pulled out the long-sleeved, snap-crotch onesie he had chosen, then picked out a pair of sweatpants to go over it so he wouldn’t be cold. Then, I turned to him once again.

“Okay, sweetheart, this is a very important question, and I want you to answer me honestly after you’ve thought about it, okay?” I waited for a nod before continuing. “Do you feel little enough to need or want a pull-up tonight? I’m okay with whatever you answer, alright? I won’t be upset with you either way.” He blushed brightly and hid his fave away from me, but I knew he was thinking about it. Eventually, he raised his head and slowly turned it toward me.

He gave a barely perceptible nod, and I asked him gently to use words.

“Wan’ one, Bubby. Just for nini time.” I nodded and rubbed his back.

“I’m so proud of you for being a big boy and telling me what you need, Bub! You’re such a good boy!” He giggled shyly as I opened the box with all of his pull-ups in it. I asked him which design he would like, but he just shook his head in embarrassment, so I picked out one with submarines on it and brought him out to the main room, shutting the closet door with my foot. I set down his outfit on the edge of the bed and tried to lay Jules down in the center of his bed, but he whined again and tightened his grip on me more. I sighed and patted his back for a few moments before trying again. Tears came to his eyes as he struggled to keep his grip on my shirt, and my heart almost broke as he began wailing. I tried to shush him gently, hoping that our parents had already fallen asleep and weren’t hearing this. Then, I sat on the end of the bed and settled him on my lap, pulling him away from my chest so that I could get him to look at me.

“Jules, look at me please.” He whined through his sobs, but made hesitant eye contact with me. My heart broke more at the pitiful look on the poor baby’s face, but I knew I had to have this talk and calm him down. “Bubba, I have to set you down on the bed so I can change you into your jammies.” He sobbed harder at my words and shook his head.

“N-noo, Bubby! No do-own!” I wiped some freshly fallen tears from his cheeks and his hands.

“I’ve got to if you want to be changed, baby. Is there a reason you don’t want Bubby to put you down?” Jules sniffled in my lap, looking away from me.

“M-missed Bubby... not seen in a long time.” My heart clenched as I finally understood what the issue was.

“You don’t want me to set you down because you haven’t gotten to see me in a while, baby? Is that what’s upsetting you? You haven’t been little in a month, so you missed Bubby, hm?” He nodded, hiccuping as his tears slowed down. I pulled him back into my chest immediately and rubbed his back. “I promise I’ll be as quick as I can be, okay? And then afterwards, I’ll pick you right back up, and I’ll even feed you a bottle. How’s that sound?” He mumbled something into my shoulder. “What was that, sweetheart?”

“Don’ need a bottle... ‘m a big boy.” I smiled fondly at his words.

“I know you’re a big boy, but even big boys need quality time with their Bubby, right?”

“Right...”

“Good boy. So, are you gonna let me change you and get you a bottle? Afterwards, we can go see Jacky and Nathan, too.” He nodded, and when I tried to lay him on the bed this time, he let me.

I was quick to change him into his pajamas, and I grabbed a bottle from his closet before rushing downstairs with him on my back, pouring some milk into a bottle and warming it up. He grumbled impatiently as it heated up, and I chuckled at him.

“It’s almost done, Jules, don’t get fussy.” He pouted up at me.

“Not fussy...” I laughed.

“I think you are, bud,” I booped his nose, and the microwave beeped to indicate that the milk was done heating up. “Oh, would you look at that? Your bottle’s ready! Let’s go upstairs, hm?” He nodded, so I led him back to his room, settling on the bed with him in my lap. I leaned against the headboard and adjusted Julian so that he was in a comfortable position for both of us during the feeding. I smiled and cooed at him, making him flush and giggle, then offered him the nipple of the bottle once settled.

He didn’t hesitate to take it, suckling at the warm milk (which I had added a bit of vanilla to before warming it up) contently, alternating between staring up at me shyly and closing his eyes while he drank. I ran a hand through his hair, letting him finish his bottle over the next fifteen minutes. Finally, when he reached a stopping point, I sat him up and burped him quickly. Then, before he could whine, I grabbed a pacifier from his bedside table and offered it to him. He accepted it, along with his stuffed animal I had handed him, and he lay contently for a few moments.

“Hey bud, would you like to go see Jacky and Nathan now? I’m sure Jacky would love to see you. You two could play for a little bit before bedtime.” He perked up immediately at the thought of going to see Jackson, and I’m sure he would have launched out of my arms if he were willing to be detached from me. Instead, he pointed towards the door.

“We go see Jacky? P’easeeee! Wan’ go now!” He wiggled in my arms, and I laughed as I hoisted him up into my arms again after standing. I walked the squirmy toddler out into the hallway and knocked quietly before opening the door to Jackson’s room. Jackson and Nathan startled as I opened the door.

_‘Maybe they didn’t hear my knock?’_ I wondered as I walked further into the room. The pair immediately calmed down upon seeing us, amd Nathan spoke.

“Man, I thought you two were you guys’ parents. Thank god it’s you.”

“Ah, sorry. I knocked, I guess I just didn’t knock loudly enough.” He waved me off and turned his attention to Julian, who still remained squirming in my hold.

“Hi there, Jules. What’s up, little dude?” Nathan spoke happily to Julian, who squealed out some rushed, unintelligible answer.

“Jules here is very excited to see Jackson, and maybe play before bedtime if that’s alright with you. Aren’t you, Bubba?” I tickled Julian’s neck and he giggled, whining for me to bring him over to the bed. I did so, and he excitedly leaned over in my arms to reach for Jackson, trying to give him a hug. Said boy had been watching Julian with curious, happy eyes since we walked in. I noticed that Nathan’s thumb was planted firmly in Jackson’s mouth, and his lack of speaking led me to conclude that he must be feeling pretty little right now.

“That’s alright with me. Whaddya think, Jacky? You wanna play with Julian for a little bit?” Jacky nodded and reached up for Julian, who was still trying to bend down and hug him. I leaned down so they could reach each other, and Julian squeaked happily as he finally pulled Jackson into a hug.

Since Julian didn’t seem too keen on me putting him down, I settled on the floor with him between my legs while Nathan did the same with Jackson. We brought over a few toys that would be appropriate for both of their respective ages, and I made Julian look at me before they began playing.

“Now, Jules, you’re gonna have to be very careful when you play with Jacky, okay? He’s littler than you right now, so play gently. Can you try to do that for me?” He nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Jacky my lil brother, I be gentle!” I smiled proudly and ruffled his hair.

“Good boy.”

Jackson and Julian played together for almost an hour before they began to get cranky and tired. Whenever the time came that Julian closed his eyes and began to doze off while stacking a block on top of his tower, Nathan and I finally decided to put the regressed boys to bed for the night. We let them say their goodbyes and we said our own. I watched him tuck Jacky into bed with a goodnight kiss before taking a dozing Julian back to his room. I discreetly checked his pull-up, happy to find it dry, before I settled him into bed as well.

I handed Julian his favorite stuffed toy and clipped his pacifier to his onesie after tucking in the comforter around him. He whined quietly for me to stay with him until he fell asleep, and who was I to refuse the request from the adorably sleepy boy? I settled down next to the bed and pet his hair until I was sure he was in a deep sleep. Then, I stood and walked to the door.

“Sweet dreams, little buddy.”

I knew that we’d probably have the same issue of him suppressing his regression again some other time, but for now, I was just happy to have my baby brother back and relaxed.

_‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose. But as long as I’m around, I’ll always be there for him—for both of them.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so I’m not particularly proud of this chapter, but I hope you liked it nonetheless!


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